1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to headsets containing earphones and, more particularly, to an “in-the-ear” type headset apparatus with improved wearing comfort and stability.
2. Description of Related Art
Telephone headsets are gaining popularity in and out of the workplace as more and more users either have jobs requiring that they spend a substantial amount of time on the telephone or users simply desire to listen or speak on the telephone with their hands free to perform other tasks.
One type of headset, which can incorporate one or two earphones for monaural or stereo listening, is known as an “in-the-ear” type headset, which employs earphones that fit into the cavum area, or entrance to a user's middle ear.
Hands-free headsets which are placed in the ear must adapt to a wide variety of ear shapes and sizes in order to fit a large percentage of users. Comfort, stability, and aesthetics are key elements that must be met in order for a headset to be acceptable to the end user. Unfortunately, previous headsets designed with consideration for both elements of comfort and stability have typically been burdened with a large form factor.
A conventional method for making an in-the-ear headset fit a wide variety of ear sizes comfortably has been to offer a foam cushion that slips over the earpiece to provide a larger profile to fill the ear. Another approach has been to offer a selection of incrementally-sized accessories which attach to the earpiece to allow for custom fitting to the user's ear. These previous methods have typically required that the output face of the earphone be forcefully maintained in the ear of the user to maintain stability. Consequently, a major disadvantage of these previous methods has been discomfort from the high contact forces against the ear. Another disadvantage has been the lack of stability in the ear after a period of time in which the earphone may become dislodged by the aggregate of movements by the user.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a headset apparatus that is comfortable, stable on the ear, universally fitting, and capable of user customization.